Mail-chute.



No. 854,866. PATENTED MAY 28, 1907.

W. ASHLEY.

, MAIL GHUTE.

APPLICATION FILED D20. 23. 1905.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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Mozmu No. 854,866. PATENTED MAY28, 1907.

R. w. ASHLEY.

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m; w mwam A i... ILLM ROBERT W. ASHLEY,

.ATE'E OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

.MAlL-CHUTE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented-*May 28, 1907.

Application filed Deceinber 2s, 1905. Serial No. 293.084.

To m7] whom "H vim/y concern:

Be it known that l, ltonnntr W. AsnLnY, a 3 citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in the borough ol"i\'lanl1att:u1, city, county, and

State of'New York, have invented. certain new and useful llnprovenientsin tllail 1 hutes, of which the following is a specdma- 1 lion.

My inventionrelates to inn roven1cnts in mail chutes of that classadapted for use in ollicc buildings, hotels and other large buildlugsand has particular reference to means 'l'or looking or unlocking theslots connnunicating with said mail chute on the several floors ol. theoffice or othenbuilding in which the same is installed. It has beenfound desirable in practice to provide means oi this desc iption becauseof the occasional blocking of the chute at one or more placesnecessitating the temporarydiscontinuance of service of the same. v

Aiurther object of the invention is to providc means for controllingsaid lock ing or unlocking of all orany desired number ol said slotsfrom 'a common point in connection with means for-indicating at saidcommon point the locked or unlocked coi'idition. of the respectiveslots.

Other objects of the invention will be pointed out hereinafter. 7

In the following I have described in con-- nection with the acconmanyingdrawings one form of structure illustrating the operation of myinvention, the features thereof being more particularly pointed outhereinafter in the claims. I In the drawings Figure. 1 is a diagrammaticview illustrating the operation of one form of my invention as the samemay be applied to a seven story building. I F 1g. 2 is a verticalsectional view of a portlon of the structure on an view on an enlargedscale to better illustrate certain operative features. partlyin sectionand partly in elevation illustrating a preferred form of switch andindicator means. Fig. 5 is a plan view of-a slot showing, in dottedlines, certain operating means in connection therewith.

Similar numerals of reference indicate similar parts throughout theseveral views. 7

1 indicates a side wall to which is fastei'icd a chute or chute sections2. As illustrated,-

the-ohuto section of one floor tapers downwardly to the chute section olthe floor below discharging into said lower section in the well Fig. 3is a vertical sectional Fig. 4 a View ally in Fig. 1 the chute sectionsare broken for convenience of illustration. The upper end of each chutesection is closed by means of a plate 3 in which is formed the mailinglot 4. Plate 3 is provided with a downwardly projecting portion 5 and anupwardly projecting portion 6 the downwardly projecting portion 5 beingadapted to surround the upper portidn of one chute section and theupwardly projecting portion. 6 being adapted to surround the lowerportion of the chute section next above, the portions 5 and 6 formingclamping collar adapted to hold the ad jaccnt chute sections togetherand to be fastened to the wall by suitable screws or bolts 7,7.Preferably integral with upwardly pro jecting portion 6 is a downwardlyprojecting portion orlug 8 for the purposes hereinafter set forth. Lugs9, 9 and 10, 10am provided near the upper end of downwardly projectingportion 5 at each end of the slot 4., the lugs 9, 9 being-in front ofsaid slot and lugs 10, 10 being-at the rear of said slot for the purposehereinafterdescribed. Solenoid magnets 1] 11 are adapted to be supportedon the down 'wardly projecting portion or lug 8 at each side and to therear of slot 4. Supported by solenoid magnets 11 in front of the same,but insulated tlierel'roin, are solenoid magnets 12.12. i

Solenoid cores 13 are each provided with an army 14, said arms 14.carrying at their 11; per ends a closing or looking apron 15 adapt ed toslide on the lugs 9, 9 and 10, 10. acting asguide ways for said apron.Arms l also l known manner. As 'shown diagrammaticelectrical contactwith contact points 17 and 18 forming the terminals of wires 19 andZOrespectively. Wire 19 is wound about solenoid. magnets 11 and wire 20 iswound about solenoid magnets 12, the wires. being so Wound on themagnetsthat magnets'll. act to throw the cores forward and magnets 12act to throw the cores backward. a

It is to be understood that contact fingers 1 16 and contact points '17and 18 are in duplil cate on each side of the slot 4 and that the lwires 19 and 20 are divided or branched so as to energize both sets ofsolenoid magnets as described, so that the' same operate in unison.Return wire 21 isin permanent electric connection. withcontact finger16. I

Wires 19 are in electrical connection with cm'itacts 22 ontheswitchboard 23 provided with switches 24 and lamps 25 and 26'.

carry contact fingers 16 adapted to-inake communication is closed.

Lamps 26 are each in a shunt circuit 27 from wires 19 around thecoi'itact points '22 and switches 24. 28 indicate resistances in shuntcircuits 2?. Wire 29 connects contacts 350 with one side of thegenerator 31. l/Vircs are in electrical connection. with contacts 32lamps are arch in a shunt 33 from wires 20 around said contacts 32 andswitches 2a. 34 indicate resistances in sluintcircuits 33. Return Wire21 connects contact finger 16 with the other side of gencratorijl. 35indicates a switch for, completing the circuit between the two sides ofgenerator 31 through contacts 36 and 37.

The operation of the structure as illustrated is as follows: It beingdcsiredto close any one of slots 4 the switch 35 is closed acrosscontacts 36 and 37 and that switch 24: corresponding to the slot i whichit is desired to close is thrown so as to, complete connection from wire20 to Wire 29 through contacts and 32. 'The solenoid cores 13 being inthe retracted position in solenoid magnets 11- contact lingers 16 restupon contacts 18 thus completing the circuit and causing the solenoidmagnets 11 to act as push magnets and throw the cores forward so as tocause the apron to pass beneath and close the slot 4'. Contact fingers16 will now rest on contact points 1'7 completing the circpit includingwire 19, res stance 28, shunt 217 lain 9 26 and wire 29 back to thegenerator. Tl that while it permits sullicient current to pass throughthe shunt to light the lamp it cuts out suflicient of the current sothat solenoid magnets 12 are not sul'l'icicntly eneigized to throwsolenoid cores 13 back again. The lamp 26 now being lighted willindicate that the particular slot with which it is in 11' it is desiredto reopen the slot after the same has been closedv switch 24. isreversed so to close the circuitironi contact 22 to contact 30. ThisWill provide a path of resistance for the current than through shunt 27and resistancefZS, and hence permit solenoid magnets 12 to he energized.sullicicntly to push back solenoid cores 13carrying apron 15. (Tontactlingers 16 will now rest on contact points 18 completing the circuitincluding wire 20, resistance 34, shunt 33, lamp 25 and wire 29 to thegenerator 31 thus causing'lamp-QS to be lighted and indicating that theparticular slot with which it is connected .is open. The arrangement ofresistances in connection with shunts 34; is heretofore described inconnection with shunts 27 so as to permit sullicient current topasstherethrough to light lamp 25, but not sul'licient to so cner-- gizcsolenoid magnets 11 as to throw out .oleuoid cores 13. l i

It is obvious that switches, 24. may be ac tun ted to operate-any one orall or any coinon said switchboard .23 and 1e resistance 28 is of suchstrengthhinalion of slots and that the operation as described will applyequally for all of the parts illustrated.

it is further obvious that by lllo moans disclosed uu automatic mcthodol closing the slots is provided controllable from anyprcdeterminedcommon point and in any combinationwithout the necessity of going toeach llooi and closing each slot individually as has hitherto hem] thecase. I

it is further oliyious that the arrangmuout of' apparatus illu .ratedmay be widely varied'and that other than electrical means of. thecharacter described may be utilized to actuate the parts and toaccomplish the result desired, and 1 do not restrict myself to theanangcment oi parts and details shown and described, said arrange]ncntliving merely illustrative of one means of carrying out my invention.

What 1 claim and desire to secure by Lettcrs Patent olf the UnitedStates is1-- 1 ,An ap].)ai.'atus of the character described comprising amail chute, a plurality of mail ing slots therein, means forautomatically closing said slots, mcahs for actuating said closingmoans, means for indicating the position thcrcol' and means forautomatically opening said closing means 2. An. apparatus of thecharacter describedv comprisii'ig a mail chute, a plurality ol mailingslots therein, means lor automatically closing said slots, means foractuating said closing means, means for indicating tho position thereofand means for automatically 'opcningsaidclosingmmmsdissimuhanoously.

3. An apparatus of tho charactci' dcscrilied comprising a mail chute, aplurality of mailing slots therein, mcaus l'or autouuitically closingsaid slots, means for actuating said closing moans, means for indicatingthe position thereof, a/iid moans l'orauto]imtically opening saidclosingmeans in sequence.

4-. An apparatus oi the chaructcr described including a mail cl ate, amailing slot therein, means for closing said slot. electricallycontrolled means for actuating said closing means and electricallyctnitrolled means For indicating the position of said closing means.

5. in an appamtusof thecharacter dcscribcd including a mail chute, amailing slot therein, electrically controlled closing moans interposedin. said mailing slot portion, cloctrically con t-rollmhopcning meansint orposcd in saidmailing slot portion and means l'or actuating saidclosingnnd opening means.

6. 111 1111 zu paraius of the character dctherein .closin and ooeninmeans interb i h 4 posed in said mailing slot portion said closing andopeningnncans Comprising two sets ol oppositely operating solenoidmagnets.

i 7. In an apparatus ol' the chmacter dcscrihcd including a mail chute,a mailing slot thcrein, closing and opening means interscrihed includinga mail chute, a mailing slot posed in'said inailing slot portion,- twosets of oppositelyoperating solenoid magnets inter-.

posed therein and means for actuating said oppositely operating solenoidmagnets.

:57 In an apparatus of the character desoribed'inc-luding a mail chute,a mailing slot therein, closing and opening means interposed in saidmailing slot portion, two sets of oppov;

sitely operating solenoid magnets lnterposed therein, means foractuating said opposltely operating solenoid magnets, and, means forindicating the position of said solenoidnnagnets.

t). An ap mratus of the character described including it mail chute, aplurality of mail reception apertures therein and means fornutormltlcnlly closing Send mail receptlon apertures dissimultaneously'from one or a commonpointi 10. An tipperatus of the'fcharecter,clescripedincluding esmail chute, a plurality of mail receptionapertures therein, means for closing said mail reception apertures dis-/simultaneously from one or a common omt andmeans for indicating, theposition 0 closing means at said c'ominon' point.

In witness whereofl have hereunto signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing

